Grief has enveloped Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State after suspected gunmen killed nine members of one family, including a two-month-old baby, in an attack that occurred late Saturday night.

According to the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, the assailants invaded the communities under the cover of darkness and went from house to house, shooting residents who were asleep.

Tengwong told reporters that the attackers also attempted to invade Rim community in the same LGA the same night. However, they were repelled by local vigilantes working alongside personnel of Operation Rainbow, the Plateau State security outfit.

Sources in the community said the entire family was wiped out in one compound. Among the dead was a two-month-old baby. Several other residents sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment in hospitals in Jos.

As of press time, the Plateau State Police Command had not released an official statement on the casualty figure. Security agencies are said to have deployed more personnel to the affected areas to prevent further attacks.

This attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have rocked Plateau State in recent weeks:

Barkin Ladi LGA: 5 persons, including 4 females and a 9-year-old boy, were confirmed killed

Bassa LGA: 11 persons, including pregnant women, were killed in a midnight raid on Ngbra-Zongo village

In some cases, survivors narrated how parents were killed while shielding their children, with infants found alive beside their dead parents

Community leaders and residents have described the killings as “baric” and “genocidal.” They are calling on the Federal Government, Plateau State Government, and security agencies to urgently deploy more troops and intelligence to rural communities.

Tengwong said: “The people are helpless. These attacks keep happening and we keep burying our people. Government must act now before Plateau is completely wiped out.”

Residents also appealed for relief materials, medical support, and psychosocial care for survivors and displaced persons.

Plateau State, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has suffered decades of communal violence often linked to disputes over land, ethnicity, and religion. Despite repeated promises by government to end the killings, attacks on farming communities have continued, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

SOURCE: Vanguard News, Punch Newspapers.